The company took over the present premises soon after the Burghley Centre was opened in 1989 after a £1½ million investment by a property developer on the old cattle market site that also included a mall with 14 retail units and a car park with 166 spaces. Seven years ago the services were improved with the expansion of the delicatessen and bakery as well as more staff at the checkouts.

Then, in August 1999, Sainsburys opened their new supermarket in Exeter Street which has been enjoying a remarkable popularity ever since, always busy and already reaping the fruits of its first expansion in October last year with the addition of new aisles and extra shelf space, a coffee shop and more car parking. It was inevitable that the remaining supermarkets, Rainbow, Budgens, Tesco Express and McColls, would feel the strain, and indeed many of the town centre shops.

Rumours circulating in the town during the summer of 2004 suggested that the store was closing and that redundancy notices had been issued to all employees. These stories, repeated in the local press, were consistently denied by the company but were obviously causing concern because on Friday 17th September the management issued a statement through its Press Officer, Mr Rod Alexander. It said:

We have been advised that rumours are circulating which suggest that our store in Bourne is about to close. Clearly such rumours are very unsettling for our staff and customers alike and we appreciate that a number of our more elderly customers rely heavily upon Budgens for their shopping needs.

There is no doubt that the opening of Sainsburys has had a significant effect on Budgens’ business in Bourne and indeed it is a typical scenario for towns and villages all around the country. These large superstores gradually drain the life out of town centres and they really do inflict severe damage on many businesses. I have no doubt that the implications for some of the small independent retailers in Bourne have been very considerable and that livelihoods will have been put at risk.

So what about Budgens? As readers would expect, regular reviews are carried out on the performance of each store and Bourne is no exception. As a result of the long-term effects of Sainsburys opening, I have to admit that we are not happy with the current performance of the store and we are looking at various options to increase sales.

We have a large number of loyal customers who continue to shop with us, but we need to find ways of enticing back some of the car-borne customers who have taken their business elsewhere. We also of course have an excellent team of staff who are determined to reverse the fortunes of the store.

Despite what has gone before, Budgens have become part of the commercial life of Bourne and their loss would be a major blow. The supermarket is the centrepiece of a busy retail area with the market place on one side and the Burghley Centre on the other, all three interactive and never more so than on Thursday market days and on Saturdays, a busy shopping day.

WRITTEN SEPTEMBER 2004